007 franchise timeline
This 007 timeline is a comprehensive list of important dates in the history of the James Bond franchise and the real history behind it. It lists all the important events which have taken place from the character's inception in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, to the present day. Events are split into sections based on when they occurred, first by decade, then year and finally by month. 1900s 1908 *May 28: Ian Fleming is born in Mayfair, London, to Valentine and Eve Fleming (Christopher Lee, who would play Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun, was his cousin). 1909 * April 5: Albert R. Broccoli is born in Queens, New York City, United States. 1910's 1915 * October 27: Harry Saltzman was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. 1920's 1926 * Kevin McClory was born. 1927 * May 27: Christopher Lee is born. * October 14: Roger Moore was born in Stockwell, London, England. 1930's 1930 * August 25: Sean Connery was born in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland. 1939 * May: Ian Fleming was recruited by Rear Admiral John Godfrey, Director of Naval Intelligence of the Royal Navy, to become his personal assistant. * September 5: George Lazenby was born in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. 1940's 1940 * September 12: Operation Ruthless, a plan aimed at obtaining details of the Enigma codes used by Nazi Germany's navy, was instigated by a memo written by Fleming to Godfrey. 1942 * January 21: Michael G.Wilson was born in New York City, New York. * Fleming formed a unit of commandos, known as No. 30 Commando or 30 Assault Unit (30AU), composed of specialist intelligence troops. 1944 or 1946 * March 21: Timothy Dalton was born in Colwyn Bay, Wales, United Kingdom. 1945 * Fleming left the Naval Intelligence for The Sunday Times. 1950s 1952 *February 15: To distract himself from his forthcoming nuptials, Fleming starts writing Casino Royale at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica. *March 18: Fleming finishes work on the script and shows it to an ex-girlfriend, Clare Blanchard, who advises him not to publish it at all, but that if he does so, it should be under another name. *March 24: Ian Fleming marries Lady Anne Rothermere in Port Maria's town hall, Jamaica. *May 12: Fleming lunches with William Plomer of publisher Jonathan Cape to discuss his book. *May 16: Future 007 actor, Pierce Brosnan, is born in Drogheda, County Louth, Republic of Ireland. *July: Jonathan Cape Publishers agree to publish Casino Royale with the help of Peter Fleming, Ian's brother. 1953 *January: Fleming starts writing The Undertaker's Wind at Goldeneye, later changing the title to Live and Let Die. *April 13: Fleming publishes his first novel, Casino Royale in London, establishing the character of James Bond. It was estimated that a copy sold out every six and a half minutes and by the end of May, the first print run had sold out. *June: Fleming sails to the United States to sign North American publishing deal with Macmillan. *October: British and American film studios show interest in the film rights to Casino Royale, but both deals fall through. 1954 *January: Ian Fleming starts writing Moonraker at Goldeneye. *March 23: Casino Royale first published in the US by Macmillan. *April 5: The second Bond novel, Live and Let Die, is published in the UK by Jonathan Cape. *April 11: The Sunday Chronicle from Colombo, Ceylon attributes front page story to "James Bond". *May: Hollywood producer Gregory Ratoff buys option to Casino Royale CBS Television buys TV rights to the novel. *October 21: An hour-long television adaptation of Casino Royale is aired as an episode of CBS's dramatic anthology series Climax Mystery Theater. 1955 *January: Fleming starts writing Diamonds are Forever at Goldeneye. *March: Hollywood producer Gregory Ratoff purchases full film rights to Casino Royale. *April 7: Fleming's third novel, Moonraker, is published in the UK by Jonathan Cape. *April: The first US paperback edition of Casino Royale published by Pocket Books under the title You Asked For It. Also, the first British paperback edition of Casino Royale published by Pan Books, selling 41,000 copies. *September: Fleming visits Istanbul and takes the Orient Express. In Istanbul, he meets Pedro Armendariz who will later play Kerim Bey in From Russia with Love. *Mid-September: Moonraker is published in the US. *Mid-November: American actor John Payne and the Rank Organization battle for the film rights to Moonraker. *December: The first spoof of James Bond, by John Russell, appears in the Christmas issue of The Spectator. 1956 *January 14: Fleming starts writing From Russia, with Love at Goldeneye. *March: Actor John Payne quits negotiations for a film of Moonraker. Later, British actor Ian Hunter shows interest. *March 25: Raymond Chandler writes an admiring review of Fleming's Bond novels for The London Sunday Times. *March 26: Fleming's fourth novel, Diamonds Are Forever is published in the UK. *May: Gun expert Geoffrey Boothroyd complains to Fleming that Bond's Beretta 418 is a "Lady's gun" and suggests a Walther PPK instead. *Summer: Fleming writes a treatment for a television series set in Jamaica with a hero named James Gunn and a villain called Dr. No. *August: Fleming commissions artist Richard Chopping to paint the cover of From Russia, with Love. *December: Henry Morgenthau reports to Fleming that he's failed to sell the idea of a "James Gunn" TV series. *December: The US paperback of Moonraker is published under the title Too Hot to Handle by Permabooks. This edition was rewritten to Americanise the British idioms used. 1957 *January: Fleming starts writing Dr. No at Goldeneye. *April 8: The fifth Bond novel, From Russia, with Love, is published in the UK by Jonathan Cape. Fleming toys with the idea of killing off the James Bond character, unsure of whether he should write another Bond novel or not. *April: Fleming meets with MI5 agent, John Collard, in Tangier to discuss efforts to stop African diamond smuggling. Later in September, The Sunday Times runs articles by Fleming on diamond smuggling. *July 7: John McLusky draws James Bond comic in London Daily Express (he later adapts 13 Fleming novels). 1958 *January: Fleming starts writing Goldfinger at Goldeneye. *February: Pan publishes paperback edition of Diamonds are Forever, selling 68,000 in 1958 (and 592,000 in 1964). *March 31: Fleming's sixth novel, Dr. No, is published in the UK by Jonathan Cape. The novel was originally a screenplay written in 1956 for what would have been a television show entitled Commander Jamaica. It marks the first appearance of both Major Boothroyd and Bond's signature weapon, the Walther PPK. *May: Actor Sean Connery stars in a Disney film which brings him to producer Albert R. Broccoli's attention when casting begins for Dr. No. *June 12: Fleming writes an outline for a Bond television series which becomes the premise of For Your Eyes Only. *Summer: Fleming and his friend, Ivar Bryce, begin talking about the possibility of a James Bond film. Irving Allen, Broccoli's partner in Warwick Films, meets with Fleming. *Winter: Bryce introduces Fleming to a young Irish writer and director, Kevin McClory, and the three of them, together with Fleming and Bryce's friend Ernest Cuneo, form the partnership Xanadu Productions. 1959 *March 23: Goldfinger, the seventh novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series is published in the UK by Jonathan Cape. *May: Fleming, Bryce, Cuneo and McClory come up with a story outline based on an aeroplane full of celebrities and a female lead called Fatima Blush. Over the next few months there are ten outlines, treatments and scripts. *July: Fleming writes a memo to Ernst Cuneo and Kevin McClory, creating the criminal organization SPECTRE. *Late Summer: Fleming writes a film treatment including a stolen atomic bomb, and underwater battle and characters named Domino and Largo. *October 21: Fleming writes a second film treatment called "James Bond of the Secret Service". *December 21: After McClory brings in writer Jack Whittingham to work with Fleming, they meet in New York to begin a full-fledged screenplay which will be titled "Longitude 78 West" (or, later, "Thunderball"). 1960s 1960 *American copies of Moonraker are reverted to the original title. *January 4: Fleming writes the novel Thunderball at Goldeneye, based on the film outlines developed with Whittingham and McClory. *February: Pan publishes Dr. No paperback in the UK, selling 115,000 copies in 1960 (530,000 in 1964). *April 11: A collection of short stories by Ian Fleming are published in the UK by Jonathan Cape under the title For Your Eyes Only. *June 18: Barbara Broccoli was born in Los Angeles, CA. *December: Harry Saltzman secures options on all existing and future Ian Fleming titles (except one). 1961 *January: Fleming writes The Spy Who Loved Me at Goldeneye. *March 17: In an article in LIFE Magazine, US President John F. Kennedy lists From Russia, with Love as number nine of his ten favourite books. *March 27: Thunderball, the eighth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series is published in the UK by Jonathan Cape. Notably, it introduces Bond's nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. *April 12: Days after a hearing to stop the publication of Thunderball, Fleming suffers a heart attack. *May: Harry Saltzman is introduced to Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli by a mutual friend, screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz. *June 20: Broccoli and Saltzman make a deal with United Artists to finance first 007 film with a $1 million budget. *November: Broccoli and Saltzman sign Sean Connery for the role of James Bond. 1962 *January 8: Fleming writes On Her Majesty's Secret Service at Goldeneye. *January 16: Fifth and final draft of Dr. No screenplay revisions completed. *January-March: Shooting begins in Jamaica on Dr. No. First shot - Bond in the phone booth at Kingston Airport. *April 16: The Spy Who Loved Me , the ninth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series is published. It is the shortest novel in the series, and is told from the first-person perspective of a woman named Vivienne Michel, rather than the third-person used in the other books. *Spring: Filming concludes on Dr. No after 58 days. *March 30: Fleming involved in brief collaboration with TV producer that leads to series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. *June: Argosy publishes Berlin Escape, later titled The Living Daylights. *October 5: Dr. No, the first EON Productions James Bond film, premieres at the London Palladium. 1963 *Jan-March: Fleming writes You Only Live Twice at Goldeneye. *March 18: Richard Maibaum completes the screenplay for From Russia with Love. *April 1: On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the tenth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series is published. It is the first Fleming novel published after the release of the film Dr. No. *April 1-August 23: Shooting of From Russia with Love. *May 9: Dr. No opens in the US. *May: Pan publishes a second paperback edition of Thunderball in the UK, selling 808,000 copies during the course of the year. *October 10: The film version of From Russia with Love opens at the London Palladium. Notably, it is the first time the character of Ernst Stavro Blofeld appears on screen, with Desmond Llewelyn making his first appearance as Q. *November 19: Ten-day court case ends after McClory takes Fleming to court over the publication of Thunderball, suing him for plagiarism. Fleming and Ivar Bryce agree to settle out of court. McClory gains the literary and film rights for the screenplay, while Fleming is given the rights to the novel, although it has to be recognised as being "based on a screen treatment by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham and the Author". 1964 *January-March: James Bond, the ornithologist whose name was used as Agent 007, visits Fleming at Goldeneye. *March 16: You Only Live Twice, the eleventh novel (and twelfth book) in Ian Fleming's James Bond series of stories is published. It is the final Bond novel to be released in Fleming's lifetime. *March 19: Connery begins work on Goldfinger at Pinewood Studios Stage D. The film wraps on location on July 11. *April: Paul McCartney, member of the English rock band The Beatles, visits Pinewood to see the Aston Martin DB5 used in Goldfinger and orders one. *April 8: From Russia with Love opens in New York and, in May 27, in Los Angeles. *August 12: Fleming dies at age 56 of a heart attack in Canterbury, Kent, England. *September 17: The third Eon Productions film Goldfinger opens in London. On December 22 it opens in New York and in Los Angeles on Christmas Day. 1965 *February-March: In France, stores sell $3 million in Bond merchandise during the French release of Goldfinger. *April 5: Angie Dickenson presents the Oscar for Best Sound Effects to Norman Wanstall for Goldfinger. *March 1: Principle photography begins on Thunderball. *April 1: The Man with the Golden Gun, the twelfth novel (and thirteenth book) of Ian Fleming's James Bond series is posthumously published. It is the first and only novel published after Ian Fleming's death. *June: In the same issue that Playboy publishes The Man with the Golden Gun, a 12-page pictorial of Ursula Andress is featured. *November: Playboy publishes a James Bond issue including a notorious interview with Sean Connery. *November 26: David Wolper's documentary, The Incredible World of James Bond, airs pulling a large 50 share. *February 16: Filming commences the fourth Eon Productions film Thunderball after producers Broccoli and Saltzman agree with McClory to cinematically adapt the novel. The joint production stops McClory from making any further versions of the novel for a period of ten years following the release of the Eon-produced version. *December 9: The fourth Eon Productions film Thunderball premieres in Tokyo, Japan and opens on 21 December in New York and 29 December in London. Variety reported that Thunderball was the number-one money maker of 1966 at the North American box office by a large margin, with a net profit of $26,500,000. 1966 *March: Jonathan Cape posthumously publishes Octopussy and The Living Daylights, a collection of Fleming's short stories. *April 18: At the Academy Awards ceremony, John Stears wins for Best Visual Effects for Thunderball. *July 4: Filming begins on You Only Live Twice. On July 27th, fans mob Connery and Diane Cilento upon their arrival in Tokyo. That day at a press conference, Connery remarks that "Japanese women are just not sexy." *October 7 & 14: Fleming;s biography is published in LIFE and The Life of Ian Fleming by John Pearson is published by McGraw-Hill. *November 1: O.K. Connery (also known as Operation Kid Brother and Operation Double 007), an Italian-produced 007 spoof starring Sean Connery's younger brother, opens. The film's cast included several actors from the official James Bond film series - Adolfo Celi, Daniela Bianchi, Anthony Dawson, along with Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell. *November 11: Donald Pleasence is brought in as Blofeld for You Only Live Twice at the last minute replacing Czech actor Jan Werich, who both Gilbert and Broccoli determine is not menacing enough – the official excuse being that Werich is ill. 1967 *April 11: You Only Live Twice opens in London at the Odeon, Leicester Square. It opens at the New York Astor on June 13th. *April 13: The unofficial James Bond satire Casino Royale is released. *May: Pan publishes The Spy Who Loved Me in paperback in the UK. It sells 517,000 copies. *May 21: Roger Moore's long-running British television series, The Saint, debuts in America on NBC. *June 9: The television special Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond airs on NBC. *June: Connery is released from his Bond contract and announces his refusal to return in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. *July: Pan publishes paperback Octopussy in UK selling 79,000 copies in 1967 and 362,000 copies in 1968. *October: Corgi toys releases the James Bond Toyota 2000GT from You Only Live Twice. 1968 *Spring: Random House publishes 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior. *April: The search for a new 007 is narrowed to five candidates including: John Richardson, Anthony Rogers, Robert Campbell, Hans de Vries, and George Lazenby. *September 5: Richard Maibaum completes shooting script for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. *October 7: George Lazenby is announced as Connery's replacement. *March 2: Daniel Craig is born in Chester, United Kingdom. *March 28: Colonel Sun - the first continuation James Bond novel published after the death of Ian Fleming - is published by Glidrose Productions and written by Kingsley Amis under the pen name of Robert Markham. *October 21: Shooting begins for On Her Majesty's Secret Service at a Swiss mountaintop restaurant staged as SPECTRE HQ, Piz Gloria. 1969 *June 23: On Her Majesty's Secret Service wraps up production, 58 days behind schedule. *August 4: John Barry, Academy Award composer for previous Bond films, is signed by the producers Broccoli and Saltzman to score On Her Majesty's Secret Service. *November 19: LP On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Louis Armstrong's "We Have All The Time In The World" released. *November: George Lazenby steps down from the role as James Bond following advice that the Bond series was outdated, and unresolved disputes with Broccoli and Saltzman. *December 18: Eon Productions' sixth 007 film (and the first to not star Sean Connery), On Her Majesty's Secret Service, premieres at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. 1970s 1970 *Winter: Corgi releases On Her Majesty's Secret Service toys including the Ford Escort, Mercury Cougar, Ford Capri, SPECTRE Mercedes and the James Bond bobsled. *February 7: The LP soundtrack of On Her Majesty's Secret Service makes the charts, reaching #103. *Autumn: Richard Maibaum completes screenplay of Diamonds Are Forever. Producers hire writer Tom Mankiewicz. *December: Guy Hamilton signed as director on next 007 installment Diamonds Are Forever. 1971 *February: Connery retakes role of Bond, replacing John Gavin and signs on with Eon Productions for more than $1 million of the total $7 million Diamonds Are Forever budget. *February 24: Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz completes first draft of the Diamonds Are Forever script. *April: Connery makes a nine-week tour of the US filming Diamonds Are Forever before production moves to Pinewood Studios in England. *August: Filming of Diamonds Are Forever wraps up. *September: ABC's short-lived series The Persuaders debuts, starring Roger Moore and Tony Curtis with musical score by John Barry. *December 14: The seventh film in the Eon Productions film franchise, Diamonds Are Forever, has its UK premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square. It grossed $116 million worldwide, of which $43 million was from the United States. 1972 *January: John Brosnan's James Bond in the Cinema is published in the US by Tantivy Press. *January 8: The LP soundtrack of Diamonds Are Forever hits the charts eventually reaching #74. The single Diamonds Are Forever with Shirley Bassey as vocals, hits the charts on January 29th to eventually reach #57. *January: United Artists sells television rights for the 007 films to ABC for an unprecedented sum of $17 million. *Spring: Producer Harry Saltzman approaches Roger Moore to play Bond. Moore accepts, then changes his home phone number from 2-007. *September 17: ABC-TV airs network premiere of Goldfinger, the first televised Eon Productions James Bond film, and gains a 49-point share and a 31.1 rating - a record as one of the most-watched programs in television history. *October 8: Moore leaves for New Orleans, Louisiana to film Live and Let Die. 1973 *January: Fleming biographer John Pearson writes James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007. *January 7: Richard Maibaum finishes the first draft of the screenplay for The Man with the Golden Gun. *June 27: The release of Live and Let Die in the United States; the eighth film in the James Bond film series, and the first to star Roger Moore as Bond. The world premiere was at Odeon Leicester Square in London on 6 July 1973, with general release in the United Kingdom on the same day. *July 7: Fawcett Gold Medal paperbacks publishes Roger Moore's James Bond Diary. *July: The single of Paul McCartney & Wings' title song from Live and Let Die hits the charts eventually reaching #2. *November 6: Shooting begins for The Man with the Golden Gun, at Hong Kong harbor with ocean liner wreck. 1974 *January: Richard Schenkman and Bob Forlini start the first ever James Bond fan club in Yonkers, New York. Their first newsletter Bondage is published. *January 14: ABC-TV airs network premiere of From Russia with Love. *April 9: Filming of The Man with the Golden Gun begins in Thailand with shots of the Cessna 206/Seabee and the opening credits with Scaramanga, Andrea Anders, Nick Nack, and gangster Rodney. *June 24: Crew of The Man with the Golden Gun return to Pinewood Studios to begin eight weeks of interiors. *September 22: ABC-TV airs the network premiere of Thunderball. *November 10: ABC-TV airs the network premiere of Dr. No. *November 18: Lulu's title theme single The Man with the Golden Gun is released by Chelsea Records. *December 19: The ninth official James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun is premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, with general release in the United Kingdom the same day. The film was made with an estimated budget of $7 million; despite initial good returns from the box office, The Man with the Golden Gun grossed a total of $97.6 million at the worldwide box office, with $21 million earned in the USA, making it the fourth lowest-grossing Bond film in the series. 1975 *October 2: Ian Fleming's troubled son, Caspar, dies of a suicidal drug overdose. *November 2: ABC-TV airs the network premiere of You Only Live Twice. *December: After suffering troubling financial disputes, his wife's diagnosis of terminal cancer, and depression, producer Harry Saltzman sells United Artists his 50% stake in Danjaq, LLC, the parent company of Eon Productions, for £20 million. *Kevin McClory first announces that he is remaking Thunderball under the title Warhead. The concept would remain in limbo before eventually being replaced by the Never Say Never Again project. *December 11: British-American Chamber of Commerce honors Roger Moore as Man of the Year. 1976 *January 8: Richard Maibaum completes screenplay for The Spy Who Loved Me in a bizarre two-part broadcast. *February 16, 23: ABC telecasts On Her Majesty's Secret Service *April 22: Construction of the 007 sound-stage begins at Pinewood Studios under direction of set designer Ken Adam. *July: Production of The Spy Who Loved Me begins on location at Auqituq National Park in Canada, Sardinia, and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. *October 31: ABC-TV airs the network premiere of Live and Let Die. *December 5: The 007 Stage - one of the largest silent stages in the world - is officially opened at Pinewood Studios in a ceremony attended by former British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. ABC-TV airs the network premiere of Diamonds are Forever. 1977 *January 10: ABC-TV airs the network premiere of The Man with the Golden Gun. *June: Playboy features Barbara Bach in a pictorial entitled "Bonded Barbara". *July 23: Nobody Does It Better, the title song from The Spy Who Loved Me, hits the charts eventually reaching #2. On August 27th, the LP soundtrack of The Spy Who Loved Me hits the charts eventually reaching #40. *Winter: British sales of the British Pan Bond paperback editions hit 27,863,500 copies. *December: BBC-TV broadcasts a four-part series on the filming of The Spy Who Loved Me. *July 7: The Spy Who Loved Me, the tenth official James Bond film and the first to be made without Harry Saltzman, opens with a Royal Premiere attended by Princess Anne at the Odeon Leicester Square. It grossed $185.4 million worldwide, with $46 million in the United States alone. On 25 August 2006, the film was re-released at the Empire Leicester Square Cinema for one week. 1978 *March 29: The Best Song Nominee Nobody Does It Better is performed by Aretha Franklin on the Academy Awards telecast. *May 19: Christopher Wood completes the screenplay for Moonraker. *August 14: Moonraker begins filming in France. *Winter: Former-Bond George Lazenby appears in a Sony commercial as a 007-ish "Secret Agent" meeting a "Q"-like character. 1979 *February 27: Principle photography for Moonraker finishes in France. *June 25-30: The Museum of Modern Art in New York shows a James Bond exhibit. *June 26: The premiere of the eleventh official James Bond film Moonraker, in the Odeon Leicester Square, United Kingdom; grossing $70,308,099 in the UK. Three days after the UK release, it went on general release in the US, opening in 788 cinemas. On mainland Europe, the most common month of release was in August 1979. Given that the film was produced largely in France, and it involved some notable French actors, the French premiere for the film was relatively late, released in that country on 10 October 1979. Moonraker grossed a worldwide total of $210,300,000. *July: Playboy profiles the James Bond character in a cover story devoted to "The Girls of James Bond". *August 18: The LP soundtrack of Moonraker hits the charts. 1980s 1980 *January 20: ITV broadcasts Live and Let Die for the first time in the United Kingdom. The film holds the record for the most viewed broadcast film on television in the UK by attracting 23.5 million viewers. *April 14: Moonraker is nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards. *Spring: Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson base next Bond script on stories For Your Eyes Only and Risico. *July 6: Roger Moore, angry over secret tests of other actors, states categorically that he will not play Bond again. *July 23: Moore signs to play James Bond in For Your Eyes Only. *Autumn: 24-year-old Ross Hendry of Harrow, Middlesex, founds the James Bond British Fan Club. *September: Steven Jay Rubin's The James Bond Films is published. *November: ABC-TV broadcasts The Spy Who Loved Me for the first time on free television in the US. *Late 1980: Playboy and United Artists sponsor Bond Girl contest. The winner Robbin Young appears in For Your Eyes Only. 1981 *January 7: RCA Selectavision buys the laser-disc rights to the 007 films for $1.5 million. *April: John Gardner's first James Bond continuation novel, Licence Renewed, is published in the UK and in the US. *Summer: Film historian Jim Schoenberger discovers kinescope of CBS "Climax!" broadcast of Casino Royale. *June 24: Premiere of the twelfth official James Bond film For Your Eyes Only at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, setting an all-time opening-day record for any film at any cinema in the UK with a gross of £14,998 . The film went on general release in the UK the same day. For Your Eyes Only had its North American premiere in Canada and the US on Friday 26 June, at approximately 1,100 cinemas. *July 24-26: James Bond Weekend in Century City, California; George Lazenby and Hervé Villechaize attend. *November 22: ABC-TV broadcasts Moonraker for the first time on free television in the US. *After his previous failure to begin production of Warhead, Kevin McClory finds a production company set up by a top Hollywood lawyer and announces a new project. Again, it would be a remake of Thunderball starring Sean Connery. It would become Never Say Never Again. 1982 *The release of the first James Bond video game, Shaken but Not Stirred. A text-based adventure game developed and published by Richard Shepherd Software, it was released in the United Kingdom for the ZX Spectrum. 1983 *April: John Gardner's 007 continuation novel, Icebreaker, is published in the US with a UK release in the summer. *April 5: George Lazenby appears as a "Bondesque" character, complete with gadget-equipped Aston Martin DB5 (with 'JB' plates), in the CBS-TV broadcast of The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. *June 6: The premiere of the thirteenth official James Bond movie Octopussy at the Odeon Leicester Square, with Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales in attendance. The film subsequently opens in the US on June 10th and, overall, earned slightly less than For Your Eyes Only, but still grossed $187,500,000, with $67.8 million in the United States alone. *June: The ABC-TV special, James Bond: The First 21 Years is featured with President Reagan honoring a tribute to 007. *September 13: In the US, Victory Games introduces a series of James Bond, 007 role-playing games. *October 5: A newly discovered asteroid is named 9007 James Bond in honour of Ian Fleming. *October 7: The unofficial James Bond film and remake of the 1965 film Thunderball - Never Say Never Again - is released by Warner Bros. *October 8: Author Steve Rubin hosts the "007 Master Trivia Marathon" at a theater complex near Los Angeles. *A side-scrolling video game titled James Bond 007 is developed and published by Parker Brothers for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, and Commodore 64. 1984 *Spring: John Gardner's third Bond continuation novel Role of Honour is published in the US by Putnam and in the UK by Jonathan Cape. *April: Philip Gurin's The James Bond Trivia Quiz Book is published in the US by Arbor House. *April 18: Prince Andrew, Duke of York is the guest of honour at an Olympic fundraiser attended by such Bond alumni as Roger Moore, John Barry, Sheena Easton, Anthony Newley and Tom Jones. *June 20: Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson complete screenplay for A View to a Kill. The script undergoes eleven revisions. *June 27: The 007 Stage is burnt to the ground towards the end of filming of Ridley Scott's Legend. *Mid-August: Production begins on A View to a Kill. *November: Raymond Benson's The James Bond Bedside Companion is published by Dodd, Mead and Co. 1985 *January 7: After being rebuilt, the 007 Stage is reopened with the new name, the "Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage". *May 18: Duran Duran's title cut from A View to a Kill hits the record charts reaching #1. *May 22: A View to a Kill, the fourteenth entry in the official series of James Bond films is premiered at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts , where stuntman B.J. Worth jumped with a parachute to City Hall. The UK charity premiere was held on 12th June at the Odeon Leicester Square Cinema in London, with Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales in attendance. It achieved a box office collection of $152.4 million worldwide with $50.3 million in the US alone and would be the last to star Roger Moore as 007. *May 25: "The James Bond 007 Master Trivia Tournament" is held at AMC Puente 10 Theatres in Industry, California. *June 13: Roger Moore and Producer Albert R. Broccoli meet and mutually agree that it is time for a younger actor to take over from the 58 year old veteran. Broccoli, however, claims that he let Moore go from the role. *June 29: Soundtrack from A View To A Kill makes the record charts, eventually reaching #33. *Autumn: Following the financial and critical disappointment of A View to a Kill, work begins on scripts for Bond 15. *November 26: Variety reports that Roger Moore has notified Cubby Broccoli that he will not be returning as James Bond. *December 3: Roger Moore officially announces his retirement from the role after 12 years and 7 films. *Two separate computer games are released to tie-in with the film A View to a Kill. The first, an action game titled A View to a Kill: The Computer Game, is developed and published by Domark. The second game, titled James Bond 007: A View to a Kill, is a text-based adventure video game developed by Angelsoft and published by Mindscape. 1986 *Spring: After an extensive search for a new actor to play Bond (involving auditions by New Zealander Sam Neill, Irish-born Pierce Brosnan and Welshman Timothy Dalton) the producers eventually offer the role to Brosnan after a three-day screen-test. No formal announcement was made by the Bond producers. *Spring: John Gardner's fifth James Bond continuation novel Nobody Lives For Ever is published in the US by Putnam. *May 17: Moore is awarded Friars' Man of the Year with Frank Sinatra as toast-master and Dean Martin and Cary Grant participating. *May 23: Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson complete the script for The Living Daylights. *June 28: Sotheby's Entertainment Memorabilia Auction sells the Aston Martin DB5 (BMT216A) from Goldfinger for $275,000. *July 15: Due to the publicity Brosnan is receiving as the heir-apparent to the license to kill, television network NBC exercises a 60-day option in his contract to make a further season of the recently cancelled show Remington Steele.Stephen Farber, "'Remington Steele' Gets Reprieve", The New York Times, July 24, 1986 Brosnan, with his 7-year contract, is obligated to return to the show. *August 6: Bond producer Albert Broccoli withdraws the offer given to Brosnan, citing that he does not want the character associated with a contemporary TV series. Timothy Dalton, whose name has never been publicly mentioned as a contender prior to late July, is publicly named the 4th James Bond on August 7th. Shooting on The Living Daylights is consequently postponed to late September. *September 29: The Living Daylights begins filming. *December 11: Royal dignitaries Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit the set of The Living Daylights to meet the new James Bond, Timothy Dalton. *The text-based video game James Bond 007: Goldfinger (based on the 1964 film) developed by Angelsoft and published by Minscape. is released for the PC, Macintosh, and Apple II platforms. 1987 *January 25: Pierce Brosnan stars in a US James Bond-like Diet Coke® commercial premiering during Super Bowl XXI. *February 13: Production wraps on The Living Daylights. *February 19: Albert R. Broccoli receives an honorary Order of the British Empire (OBE). *April: Esquire publishes an interview with Sean Connery titled, "So... we meet at last, Mr. Bond: an encounter with Sean Connery." *May 13: In the US, Roger Moore hosts the ABC-TV special, Happy Anniversary, 007 commemorating the 25th anniversary of Bond. *June 5-July 23: New York Museum of Modern Art holds 007 exhibition, with screenings of fourteen Bond films. *June 29: The 15th official James Bond film (and the first to feature Timothy Dalton as 007) The Living Daylights is premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, with Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales in attendance. The film was released in the US on July 31 and grossed the equivalent of $191.2 million worldwide. In the United States it earned $51,185,000, including an opening weekend of $11,051,284. *August 29: Retired 007 actor, Roger Moore hosts Happy Anniversary 007: 25 Years of James Bond, an hour-long television documentary on the history of Bond for the 25th anniversary of the film series. *September: Playboy has a cover feature "The Women of James Bond," with an accompanying Maryam d'Abo pictorial. *September: Publisher Domark Software releases the platform game The Living Daylights (based on the eponymous film) for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MSX, and ZX Spectrum platforms.C-64-spelet James Bond The Living Daylights, The James Bond Museum *December 9: Connery is interviewed on US television by ABC-TV's Barbara Walters, discussing his reasons for leaving the role of 007. 1988 *The speedboat racing game Live and Let Die (based on the 1973 film) is released for Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, and ZX Spectrum platforms. It is developed by Elite Systems International and published by Domark Software. 1989 *April 20: The top-down shooter game Licence to Kill (based on the upcoming film) is released for a variety of contemporary platforms, developed by Quixel and published by Domark Software. *July 14: Licence to Kill is released in the USA. This would be Timothy Dalton's second and final portrayal of James Bond on-screen. 1990s 1990 *January 11: Albert R. Broccoli receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. *August: Veteran screenwriter Richard Maibaum and director John Glen leave Eon Productions on 'amicable' terms amid trade press reports of a "bloodless coup". *Production on the 17 Bond picture begins, Alfonse M. Ruggiero produces a 17-page draft. *MGM/UA is sold to Pathé Communications. Danjaq, the Swiss based parent company of Eon, sues MGM/UA and its new chairman to protect the TV distribution rights of the series from being devalued. These legal disputes engendered a several year hiatus in the series. *The top-down shooter game The Spy Who Loved Me (an adaptation of the 1977 film) is released for a variety of contemporary platforms, developed by The Kremlin and published by Domark. *Delphine Software International's adventure video game Operation Stealth is released with the James Bond licence in North America , branded James Bond 007: The Stealth Affair. 1991 *30 September: Debut of the spin-off animated television series James Bond Jr. which followed the adventures of Bond's nephew. It would run until 2 March 1992 with a total of 65 half-hour episodes produced. 1992 *June 20: Release of Eurocom's action video game James Bond Jr. for the Super NES. The original Nintendo Entertainment System variant had released in September 1991. It is the first and last "Bond" game published by THQ.Eurocom NES game SNES game 1993 *May: MGM creative affairs VP Elizabeth Robinson announces in Variety that work on the 17th 007 movie has resumed with writer Michael France penning a fresh script. *MGM/UA legal debates draw to a close and in 1993 a more "Bond-friendly" view is taken by the execs. *August: France turns in a second draft for Bond 17. *August 14: Release of James Bond 007: The Duel, an action platform video game developed by The Kremlin and published by Domark for Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System and Game Gear consoles. It is the last time Timothy Dalton's likeness is used for 007. 1994 *April 11: Timothy Dalton formally announces his resignation from the role of James Bond. *June 8: Pierce Brosnan is introduced to the world as the new 007. 1995 *January: Production begins on Bond 17 at Leavesdon Studios (then EON Studios). *November 17: GoldenEye, the 17th Bond film and the first to star Pierce Brosnan, is release in the USA. 1997 *August 23: Japanese release of GoldenEye 007, a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The iconic game was based on the 1995 film of the same name. *October 13: Kevin McClory and Sony Pictures Entertainment Company (SPE) announce their intention to remake Thunderball for a second time. The rumored title would be Warhead 2000. *December 19: Tomorrow Never Dies is released in the USA. It is the first Bond film to be release after the death of Albert R. Broccoli in 1996. 1998 *February 9: North American release of James Bond 007, an action-adventure video game developed by Saffire and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. *May 9: James Bond 007: A License To Thrill theme park attraction opens with a joint premiere at Paramount's five North American amusement parks - Paramount's Great America, Paramount's King Dominion, Paramount's Carowinds, King's Island, and Canada's Wonderland in Toronto, Canada.JAMES BOND 007: A License To Thrill. The Facts Of Bond. 1999 *March 30: Kevin McClory's Warhead 2000 AD project is officially terminated after Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer obtains the film rights to Casino Royale from Sony Pictures Entertainment for $10 million in the out-of-court settlement of a law suit. *November 16: North American release of Tomorrow Never Dies, a third-person shooter stealth video game based on the 1997 film of the same name. Developed by Black Ops Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, it was released exclusively for the Sony PlayStation. *November 19: The World Is Not Enough, the 19th film in the official James Bond series, is released in the USA. *August 17: Q actor Desmond Llewelyn launches the James Bond 007: A License To Thrill simulator ride (now named 007: Licence to Thrill) at the London Trocadero at Piccadilly Circus. *December 1: The final location of the James Bond 007: A License To Thrill attraction opens Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, now named 007: License to Thrill. 2000s 2000 *November 20: North American release of 007 Racing, a third-person racing video game developed by Eutechnyx and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation video game console. 2001 *November 13: North American release of Agent Under Fire, a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube video game consoles. 2002 *November 1: Release of 007 Ice Racer, a racing video game developed by In-Fusio and published by Vodafone for mobile phones. Based on the Iceland chase sequence from the upcoming film Die Another Day. *November 18: North American release of Nightfire, a first-person shooter video game developed by Eurocom (Gearbox Software for Windows) and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 2, Xbox,Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance video game consoles. *November 20: The twentieth Eon film, Die Another Day, is released. It was the last film starring Pierce Brosnan. 2003 *Release of 007 Hover Chase, a racing video game developed by IOMO and published by Vodafone for mobile phones. Based on the pre-title hovercraft action sequence from the 2002 film Die Another Day. 2004 *February 17: North American release of Everything or Nothing, a third-person shooter video game developed by EA Redwood Shores and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube video game consoles. It would be Pierce Brosnan's last time in the role of 007. *July: Pierce Brosnan announces that he is leaving the role, stating "Bond is another lifetime, behind me". *November 22: North American release of GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, an alternate-reality, first-person shooter video game developed by EA Los Angeles and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 2, Xbox,Nintendo GameCube, and Nintendo DS video game consoles. 2005 * June 21: The quote "Bond. James Bond," is declared as the 22nd greatest film quote of all time by the American Film Institute. *October 14: After considering more than 200 actors from around the world for over two years, Eon Productions officially name Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to portray 007, taking over from Pierce Brosnan. The actor arrives at a press conference in London by speedboat. *November 15: North American release of From Russia with Love, a third-person shooter video game, developed by EA Redwood Shores and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and PlayStation Portable video game consoles. Based on the 1963 film of the same name it featured veteran 007 actor Sean Connery. *Sony leads a consortium that purchases MGM, allowing Sony to gain distribution rights starting with the 2006 film Casino Royale."Consortium Led by Sony Corporation of America, Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Comcast Corporation and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners Enters Into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Metro-". corporate.comcast.com. Retrieved 2017-10-11. 2006 * November 14: The twenty first official film, Casino Royale, is released starring Daniel Craig as 007. This version is a reboot the film series, establishing a new timeline and narrative framework not meant to precede or succeed any previous Bond film. However, it is still remains a part of the official Bond film franchise produced by Eon Productions."List of All James Bond Movies - Part 2". www.007james.com. Retrieved 2017-10-11. *November: Release of the mobile platform video game Casino Royale developed by Javaground and published by Sony Online Entertainment to tie-in with the film's launch. 2007 *September: TAMBA Internet releases Avenue of Death, a browser-based adventure game based on the Young Bond book Hurricane Gold, promoting its launch. 2008 * April: Release of James Bond: Top Agent, a turn-based fighting game developed by Javaground and published by Sony Online Entertainment for mobile phones (December 2009 for iOS). The game was pre-loaded on Sony Ericsson's limited-edition James Bond themed Sony Ericsson C902 phone. *August 23: Six to Start releases The Shadow War, a browser-based adventure game based on the Young Bond book By Royal Command, promoting its launch. *October 29: The twenty-second official film, Quantum of Solace, is released. The film picks up right where the 2006 film Casino Royale leaves off, with Bond avenging the death of Vesper Lynd. *October 31: EU release of the video-game Quantum of Solace, a series of shooter games developed separately by Treyarch, Beenox, Vicarious Visions and Eurocom for various platforms and published by Activision across October/November. 2010s 2010 *''Skyfall'', then known by the working title Bond 23, was suspended throughout 2010 because of MGM's financial troubles. *December 21: Bond 23 resumes pre-production. *November 2: North American release of GoldenEye 007, a first-person shooter video game developed by Eurocom and Blood Stone a third-person shooter video game, developed by Bizarre Creations. Both games were published by Activision. 2011 *February: Glu Mobile publishes 007: License to Drive, a single-player racing video game developed by Gamelion Studios for mobile phones. 2012 *April 17: Online retailer Amazon announces that it has purchased the North American rights to Ian Fleming's James Bond books. * October 16: North American release of 007 Legends, a first-person shooter video game developed by Eurocom and published by Activision. *October 23: Skyfall is premiered in London, becoming the twenty third Eon James Bond film. 2013 *January 4: Activision and Steam's online stores quietly remove online copies and pages for Quantum of Solace, Blood Stone, and 007 Legends without explanation or warning. *February 20: Activision confirms that it will be backing away from licensed games. 2014 *July 8: Youniverse Digital Limited releases a browser-based adventure game based on the Young Bond book Shoot to Kill, promoting its launch. 2015 * July 18: Glu Mobile releases menu-based role-playing game James Bond: World of Espionage as a free app for the Android and iOS platforms. *October 7: While promoting Spectre, actor Daniel Craig voices frustration in an interview with Timeout ''magazine. Asked whether he will make another Bond film, Craig replies "I'd rather break this glass and slash my wrists" and notes that if he did another movie it "would only be for the money." *October 26: [[Spectre|''Spectre]] has its official premier at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It becomes the twenty fourth James Bond film. *Following the 2015 release of Spectre, Sony Pictures Entertainment's contract to market and distribute the James Bond films expires. Reportedly, Sony, Warner Bros, Annapurna, Fox and Universal are all pursuing distribution rights to the franchise, valued at between $2bn and $5bn (£1.5bn-£3.8bn), according to Hollywood Reporter. 2016 *December 30: Glu Mobile shuts down the James Bond: World of Espionage servers. 2017 * July 24: Official announcement of Bond 25 with an intended US release date of November 8, 2019 with traditional earlier releases in the UK etc. Writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are announced to be returning, along with producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. * August 15: Speaking on American talk show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert actor Daniel Craig ends speculation and confirms he will play the Bond for a fifth and final time. Craig’s renewed enthusiasm for the role marks a change of mind after comments he made in 2015, which he explained as the product of exhaustion. References __NOEDITSECTION__ Category:Events Category:Lists Category:Production